PLS a League apart?

Despite the presence of stars like Sunil Chetri (inset), the best Indian striker after Baichung Bhutia, the ONGC  I-League has not been able to attract the audiences Right: Due to lack of opportunities, infrastructure and favourable playing conditions, Bhutia has moved abroad to look for better openings

So what exactly is it about the PLS that can make it different from the existing national league, the ONGC I-League? For starters, despite the fact that the I-League has expanded, and has helped in taking the game to various parts of the country, it still has not been able get a hold on the audiences.

The reasons have been many, including shoddy marketing, poorly handled TV rights and the lack of big names. Even the presence of someone like Sunil Chetri, the best India striker after Baichung Bhutia moved abroad to look for better playing opportunities, failed to excite the crowds. And that is exactly what the PLS has the power to change.

For starters, the PLS will be concentrated only in West Bengal, the hub of Indian football, so crowds can be expected to pour in. Secondly, with companies or business groups having to invest heavily to buy a team, it will guarantee that they will do everything to make money out of the venture, which will automatically lead to marketing rights of games, stars etc. and that too at a large scale. The matches might be played in only in Bengal, but with the right promotion, it can quickly become popular in the rest of the country as well.

With a management group already been roped in as partners, it will ensure the required professionalism in the day-to-day functioning. Also the League has an official broadcast partner, who must have paid a fortune to bag the rights for the PLS. Promoting the new League is ultimately going to benefit the broadcasting partners as well.

This was something that the I-League has always lacked. It never really had the backing of the broadcaster, the federation or anyone, who actually knew how to market a sport right. All that should be changing soon and it should be able to add an overall professional outlook to how football is run in the country.

Then the biggest and the most important part is the players. With big names coming in to play, there will be definitely a lot of overhauling of the way; the teams treat their players. The salaries will change, the dressing room facilities will change, there will be more care taken of certain small details that can make a player extra motivated for outperforming himself. This will result in more cohesive units, and players can play with a burden-free mind, who will then only have their game to worry about.

Also, with star players and coaches coming into the picture, with daily training schedules, our domestic players will finally get to live the life of an actual professional football player.

These things are still in the pipeline, and history has told us too many tales that can cause one to be sceptical, but this time it is little different. This time, as the saying goes, the people who wish to run the sport, are actually putting their money where the mouth is. — VS